Tuck comb



y 1951 .1. R. MCELENEY 2,551,330

TUCK COMB Filed Jan. 2, 1948 IN V EN TOR.

Patented May 1, 1951 "UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIl-CE .8 Claims. .1

This invention relates to tuck combs-coifiure combs. and devices of like nature.

' The principal object of the inventionresides in .the provisionof a device of the class described having a completely novel andgreatly improved means for securing the same to the head of the wearer, saidmeans'being of a nature not only holding the hair'positively to the comb but also acting to insert the hair in between the teeth of i :thecomb in the applicationof the comb to the .hair.

-A further object of the invention resides in the :provision of a toothed article in the nature of a comb in 'whichthe teeth'are'each formed with a slot extending longitudinally of the teeth centrally thereof incombination with a slider or tongue which is held in the combined slot in slidable mannerand which is provided with an inclined nose or forward end-portion which lifts the hair and wedges it into the spaces between the teeth of the comb.

A further object of the invention resides in the provisionof a toothed device inthe nature of a comb 'having teeth, which teeth areslotted, the slots in the teeth together formingaguide- .way for the reception of a slider or tongue which extends at one edge to a line connecting the pointscof' the teeth. and having anupwardlyinclined portion acting'asa cam to pick-up the hair .and'wedge it in between thespaces of the teeth, the comb being'placed with the points of the teeth against the-scalp and the slider .01 tongue running the guideway formed by the teeth adjacent the scalp.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Referenceis to behad to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig.1 is a'view in front elevation showing .the invention with the slideror 'tongue'removed;

Fig. 2-is a top plan View of the same;

Fig. 3 is a section on line3-3- of- Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. l;

Fig-5 is a view similarto Fig. l'butshowing the slider or comb in position;

'=Fig." 6' is a top plan viewof'a modification;

Fig. '7 is a viewin.frontelevation of the modification of Fig. 6;

Fig. -8is"a section on line8-8 ofFig. '5 but showing only a section of the slideror tongue;

Fig. 9: isayiewin front'elevation of a slider or tongue for the modification shown in Figs..6

..nently connected.

The main part of the device comprises a body generally iridicatedat-l 0 in Figs. -1, '2,.an'df 5,; this -body,. as wilLbe seen in..F-ig. .2, being wider. than I an. ordinary comband as seen in'Figs. 3..aiid2"5 generally indicated at 2'4.

the slideritself. portion of the inclination, which is the widthiof of the comb if]. tonguefzd is resilient to some extent,'and both it. may be. made one curve .in .its preferred. form.

although it may also be made straight.

Thepart I9 is providedwith .a seriesof teeth 12 and end. teeth I 4 and T5,- eachone of which, except 'forthe enlarged end. tooth l lfhas across sectional shape as shown in Fig.8. Thisishape providesla pair ofspaced legs l6 iormingan enlarged central slot or opening at. 1'8 and a narrow necked down central slot or opening Z'BHatthe points 22 oftheteeth. .The slots. or openings. 20 and l8.in the series .of teeth form .an. undercut guideway for the. reception. of a slider. or'ltongue This tongue has crosssectional shape .as .shownin'lFig. 8' including an enlarged portion which will fit in the enlarged slots or openings l8 and a smaller ,portionlzfi which will be meceived .in the smaller :s1ots..or openings 20. .One of'the important. characteristics of this slider. or tongueisthat when assembled in'the guidewayformed by'the openings in the teethv its; lower. edge 28 falls along a line joining the points of the teeth of the comb as'is plainly shown. in Fig. 5.

.as seenin Fig' 5, itis provided with an inclined end edge-3 4, whichlis as greatason greater in extent than the space between the back It and In other words, the effective the slider, isgreat enough to insure a solid packing of hair inthe spaces indicated below the teeth l2, and to thisend is approximately equal to the space betweenthe slider andback. The slider or tongue. may be originallystraig-ht,

receiving its. curved'form by reason of being bent or curved due to thebent or curved formation In other words, the slider or parts of thedevice are most practicably made of molded plastic. material whichQis inherently revsilient.

In theoperation-of the device, the slider 01' tongue .24 is withdrawn :asfar as possibletothe right-so that most of the teeth !2 are open. Then the device is thrust intotthe -hair, thecurved line at 28 conforming substantially to the scalp, and

the slider is thrust through the teeth to the Fig. 5 position. Since the edge 28 is substantially in contact with the scalp it will be obvious that the inclined edge portion 34 will lift up the hair and thrust it into the spaces between the teeth, wedging it in position so that the device is practically impossible to withdraw from a head of reasonably thick hair without first withdrawing the slider or tongue 24.

As shown in Figs. 6 and '7, the same principle may be applied to a more usual type of comb having teeth such as those at 36. In this case, the teeth 36 extend laterally from a back portion 38 and the teeth are slotted as above described, as clearly shown at 40, for the reception of a similar slider or tongue 42 provided with an upstanding rib 44 which will lie along a line joining the terminations of the teeth as at 46 in Fig. 6. In this modification, the comb is used in the same manner and it will be seen that the teeth 36 do not enter the hair at all except to be thrust into the hair in the manner of a tuck comb. The hair is wedged by the slider 32 to lie against the portions of back 38 between teeth 36, and is so held by the slider.

It is pointed out that the device shown in Fig. l

is held perpendicularly to the scalp and the thrusting action of the slider or tongue in picking up and wedging the hair to the teeth [2 acts only perpendicularly to the scalp to maintain parallel arrangement of and even distribution of the hair. Also, the slider or tongue 24 originally being straight, is actually frictionally locked in engagement in the Fig. 5 position due to the curve impressed thereon by the tooth arrangement forming a curved guideway.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

l. A device of the class described comprising a back, a series of teeth connected to the back and each having a central slot extending inwardly from the points of the teeth, the slots each being enlarged inwardly from the teeth points and alined, and a slider spaced from the back and received in the slots and adapted to be moved centrally through the teeth to wedge hair into the spaces between the teeth, said slider having its forward end inclined relative to the teeth, from one side edge to the other side edge, so that all hair abutting the forward end of the slider is wedged toward the back.

2. A device of the class described comprising a back, a series of teeth connected to the back,

each tooth having a centralslot extending inwardly from the points of the teeth, the slots each being enlarged inwardly from the teeth points and alined, a slider spaced from the back and received in the slots and adapted to be moved centrally through the teeth to wedge hair into the'spaces between the teeth, said slider having its forward end inclined relative to the teeth, the effective width of the slider being approximately equal to the space between the slider and back.

3. A device of the class described comprising a back, a series of spaced teeth thereon, said teeth being centrally slotted inwardly from the points thereof, and a slider spaced from the back and arranged to slide in the slots, said slider having a hair picking up inclined forward end, the back and the slider being originally nonparallel and the latter being resilient to assume the shape of the former.

4. A device of the class described comprising a back, a series of spaced teeth thereon, said teeth being centrally slotted inwardly from the points thereof, and a slider spaced from the back and arranged to slide in the slots and having an edge coinciding with the line of the tooth points, said slider having a hair picking up inclined forward end, and means preventing total withdrawal of the slider from the device, the back and the slider being originally non-parallel and the latter being resilient to assume the shape oi the former.

5. A device of the class described comprising a back, a series of spaced teeth thereon, said teeth being centrally slotted inwardly from the points thereof, and a slider spaced from the back and arranged to slide in the slots and having an edge coinciding with the line of the tooth points, said slider having a hair picking up inclined forward end, and means preventing total withdrawal of the slider from the device, said means comprising an inwardly directed projection on the last tooth of the device, the slider being longitudinally recessed to receive the pro- ,iection.

6. A device of the class described comprising a back, a series of slotted spaced teeth thereon, a slider spaced from the back and in the slots and guided thereby, and an inclination at one end of the slider to pick up hair and force the same into the spaces between the teeth, said inclination extending from one side of the slider to the other and approximating in effective width the distance from the back to the slider, the slots being enlarged inwardly of the points of the teeth and the slider being enlarged correspondingly so that the latter is held to the teeth and is guided in the slots.

'7. In a device of the class described comprising a back, a series of slotted spaced teeth thereon, a slider spaced from the back and in the slots and guided thereby, and an inclination at one end of the slider to pick up hair and force the same into the spaces between the teeth, said inclination extending from one side of the slider to the other and approximating in effective width the distance from the back to the slider, the slider having an edge coinciding with a line connecting the points of the teeth.

8. A device of the class described comprising a back, a series of slotted. teeth thereon, a slider spaced from the back and in the slots and guided thereby, an inclination at one end of the slider to pick up hair and force the same into the spaces between the teeth, said inclination extending from one side of the slider to the other and approximating in effective width the distance from the back to the slider, the teeth being located on the arc of a curve and the slider being substantially straight and resilient to be forced into conformance with said curve.

JAMES REDMOND MCELENEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

